


World, hold on.

by soulhead



Series: Crossing path in every universe [4]
Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, M/M, Merman!Lando, merfolks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-09
Updated: 2019-12-09
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:53:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21733291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soulhead/pseuds/soulhead
Summary: Lando is a merman who always felt out of touch with the ocean and its unforgiving world. Carlos is the human who introduced him to the possibility that the world could be kinder to him.
Relationships: Lando Norris/Carlos Sainz Jr
Series: Crossing path in every universe [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1964035
Comments: 6
Kudos: 76





	World, hold on.

Today, the sea is exceptionally rough. Its waves are high and violent gushes of wind blow on the surface. Usually, Lando's merfolk instincts would tell him to stay well hidden in a grotto, protected of the tumultuous marine currents.

Instead, he's precariously swimming through the uproar with a heavy twill sack he had secured on his shoulders, ignoring how his tail has begun to feel strained under the effort.

Today isn't any other day, it's _finally_ time for him to reunite with Carlos. He counted each day carefully, still unfamiliar with the human calendar despite years of habits and he waited impatiently for the 13th day of the month to come, the day Carlos swore he would come back to him. As he thinks about this promise, a precise image surges in his mind : He can almost hears the soft tone in which Carlos had spoken and the way his left hand rubbing Lando's neck felt burning when they parted ways.

Thus, as soon as the first sun-rays appeared on this particular day, he set himself toward the shores, ignoring how the weather seemed to fight against him. Now on the last hundred of meters separating him from his destination, it seems the agitation of the sea has grown tenfold and he has to relentlessly fight against the violent currents pushing him in direction of the sharp rocks that litter the coast.

His determination doesn't falter through, his human lover's promise fueling him toward their meeting point as he get closer to the land, he can't help but let his mind wanders to the first time he met Carlos and got familiar to this ritual of theirs.

  
  


***

  
  


It all started when he was nothing more than one merfolk among many, albeit a particularly young one. As the winter nearly came to an end, his clan was running dangerously low on provisions and a special council had gathered to resolve this matter. Spontaneously, he had volunteered to be in charge of gathering mussels and algae to refill their stock until planktons of fishes would once again be plentiful in their habitat.

Unlike hunting for marine rays or even tending to nearby corals, none of his counterparts had fought over who would be able to be responsible for this task. Merfolks saw it as an almost degrading work, to have to shift back into their human form and walk the rocky beaches of the coast for something as mundane as gathering a type of food that could not escape nor fight back to its predator. Naturally, others merfolks had snickered at him when he volunteered for the task and his own mother had looked down at him, probably wishing she had a more adventurous son.

But for Lando, going on dry land was precisely the adventure he was looking for : to be able to explore the human world a little bit more, to carefully balance one foot in front of the other as he walked the shores. He was fascinated by the human world and how is own body adapted to it, he couldn't help it.

Excited at the prospect of spending time on dry land, he had hastily swum near the coast as soon as the council was dismissed. Once he had reached the nearest beach, he indulged himself to walk aimlessly through the shores, enjoying the feeling of stretching his legs and the way the sand tickled his toes. In the middle of his wandering he managed to steal discretely a few human clothes he found unguarded laying on the beach and put them on to appear inconspicuous if he crossed path with humans. Then, he found a spot where mussels were in great numbers and set himself on his work.

As he was almost midway to fill his first sack, a human boy had appeared seemingly out of nowhere to eye him curiously and approach him carefully. At first, he had ignored him and focused on getting to unstick one particularly stubborn mussel.

«Dude, I always wanted to do that ! Can I help you with it ?» the human asked enthusiastically as he broke the silence between them.

«Yes. If you want.» he simply answered. Trust a human to see the fun in a task merfolk were only completing to ensure their survival, he had thought deprecatingly at that time. After a few seconds of observations had passed in silence, the human boy started to gather the mussels on his side, imitating without finesse his own technique.

Without losing focus on his current task, Lando remembers being unable to refrain himself from observing discretely the human by his side, who introduced himself as Carlos. His dark hair and tanned skin were a telltale sign he was part of the small human community that had established itself near the coast. Unfamiliar as he was at that time of the human aging process, he could still establish that they were probably almost of the same age, the human's rosy cheeks and gangly limbs giving away his youthfulness. Most importantly, it's Carlos's eyes that stood out to him, they were wide and dark yet they didn't seem threatening at all. Instead, they reminded him of the color of the sea shells he used to collect for his mother when he was way younger.

Growing accustomed to the company of his unlikely partner, they settled into a comfortable rhythm where Lando often interrupted himself to give advices and correct the way his counterpart held the knife he landed him to harvest the mussels. The rest of the time Carlos babbled about the lack of activity his community offered for young humans like him and how boring he felt during the summer. Lando listened intently, desirous to learn more of the creature in front of him.

Hours passed rapidly under the clement heat of the sun and eventually, the tide slowly began to grow high, signaling to Lando it was almost time for him to return with his harvest to his home. When they had filled both of the sacks Lando had carried with him, the young merfolk had started to prepare himself for his return. He still remembers nowadays how anxious he had been at that time, wracking his brain to try to remember what was customary for humans when one wanted to express thankfulness to another. He had enjoyed the time he spent alongside the human, for once someone talked to him without judgment and had helped him, instead of snickering at him like most of the members of his clan did.

«Can't you stay a bit longer ? We could rest a bit and play a game of footie ?» Carlos asked interrupted his train of thoughts.

«No, the tide is rising. I need to go back. » he had stated, feeling torn at the sight of the human's disappointed expression. The weight in his own heart told him he shared Carlos's feelings.

«Oh ok, I understand. That's a shame...» he had answered in a soft voice «Anyway, I hope the fishmonger of the village will be satisfied by your harvest !»

«I don't work for fishmongers, I will bring it back to my home.» he answered, almost offended. Fishmongers stole their food more often than not, he would never associate himself with them !

«Oh really ? You must have a big family then to eat all that ! Where do you come from ?»

« From the _Aequor_.» he points to the ocean, not knowing the modern spanish words for what he was referring to.

«Seriously ?? You're part of the merfolks ? This is so cool ! My mother told me there only was a small clan left of you nearby the coast ! You should have told me before !»

«I...I really need to go, the way is long before I reach my home, but maybe we could talk more another time ?» he proposed hopefully.

«Yes ! Will you be there on Sunday ?»

«Sunday ?» Lando had asked while tilting his head in incomprehension.

«Sunday is in errr...Once the sun will rise two time from now on ?»

«Oh, yes, I'll be there and you'll show me this game of..."footie", right ?» he had concluded as a small smile bloomed on his face when Carlos enthusiastically approved his idea.

  
  


***

  
  


And now, years later, as he's braving the turbulent sea to reunite with Carlos, it seems almost nothing had changed. They continued to meet as frequently as they could, Lando growing more comfortable to open up in presence of the human boy with each days passing until their friendship slowly transitioned into something else, something deeper.

The only major difference was now that Carlos had to be absent for longer period of time as his career in F1 (a sport human practiced that he had trouble to understand even after Carlos showed him plenty of videos) required his presence in faraway countries. Lando's ocean life had then transitioned into a strange sort of interlude, where he only waited for Carlos to return and to allow him to forget about how isolated he had become from his own clan.

His mind, still embroiled in memories of the past, is brought back into focus when he realizes he's finally reaching the bay. Once there, he shifts into his human form and finds a small place to hide himself from the cold wind. He lays with care his sack next to him and settle himself down to observe silently the turbulent sea before curling up on himself while waiting for Carlos's arrival. The sun shifts progressively in the sky as he remains unmoving and Lando knows that to human it means what that they call minutes or even hours have passed. Lando doesn't mind, as a merfolk he's less sensible to the passing of time than his human counterparts and he focuses on resting his tired lungs after battling against the current and having to readjust to feeling air inside them.

His mind is brought back suddenly into the present time when he feels a warm and soft material encircles his shoulder seconds before a familiar pair of lips meets his own in a gentle kiss.

«Took you long enough, uh ?»

«My god Lando, you look cold as ice ! How long have you been waiting for me ?» Carlos says as his eyes roams Lando's body.

«I don't know, I broke the watch you offered me...Came here as soon as the sun began to rise to be sure to be on time.» Lando says in a soft voice, bowing his head shamefully when he remembers how Carlos had told him to be careful with the small object.

«Hey no, it's alright, let's just go back to my car, I'll put the heather on on our drive back, sounds good ?»

«Sounds good...» he confirms as he takes Carlos's hands to be lead through a small rocky path.

Once they reaches Carlo's car, Lando comfortably snuggles himself to the passenger seat and wrap himself in the towel Carlos had given him to warm himself.

«I see you packed for the next three months already !» Carlos remarks as he loads his sack in the truck.

«Yes, I took everything, so I can stay with you.» he answers once Carlos's settles himself of the driver's seat and starts the car.

«Tss, you'll grow sick of me before the end of the first week.» his lover answers humorously «I can't wait to show you everything I've planned for the next months, you're gonna love it !» Carlos adds as he starts to ramble about all the places he wants to show to Lando.

«Carlos.» he whispers, trying to politely put a halt to his lover's raving about their upcoming plans. He didn't understand, didn't he ?

«-ong ride, approximately 4-5 hours but you'll see it's sooo worth-»

«Carlos !» he repeats, successfully making Carlos halts in his explanation «I said that I took everything, so I can stay with you.» he stresses once again.

«Yes, you already said that ?»

«No...» Lando sighs, thinking about a better way to convey his message «Remember when you said you didn't like it when we spent too long away of each other ?»

«Still do...» Carlos smile faltered and turned into a a resigned frown.

«I don't like it too... I've been thinking about it and in this sack I have all the important belongings I need, because I want to come with you after your holidays are over.»

Instantly, Carlos turns the steering wheel of his car to park it in the hard shoulder of the road.

«You're sure about that ?» he ends up asking as his dark eyes plunges into Lando's.

«Yes...It's lonely out there in the ocean.» he simply states, thinking about the mistrustful glares most of his counterparts offer him.

In a matter of seconds, Carlos hurls himself from his seat to Lando's side, engulfing him into a bone-crushing embrace. Lando can't help but giggles at the crushing contact and weight pressed on him, feeling his heart swell with the sudden display of affection. From the corner of his eyes, he catches sight of the ocean beneath the cliff they are driving on. From the soothing safety of Carlos's car, it appears evident to him that if the ocean is harsh and turbulent, the human world is anything but that and he can't wait to discover all of it.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm trying to write shorter fics for a while, and wow, the first one I write involve the necessity to do some worldbuilding, which doesn't fit at all the prerequisite to write shorter fics...But I still had fun writing it despite how it turned longer than what I had anticipated !


End file.
